Team Kinesis Spotlight: Alanna Harter

Name: Alanna Harter Title: Chief Growth

Can you believe that 2017 is right around the corner? As we enjoy the fall colors and crisp evenings, Kinesis is also getting our company prepped to best support our extraordinary clients in the coming year. And one of the best ways we can help our clients’ growing companies is to continue to add more skilled people to our team.

That’s why we are thrilled to introduce our newest Chief Growth Officer (or “CGO”), Alanna Harter. In this role, she works closely with our clients’ executive teams to ensure their businesses are thriving with solid systems for growth.

I absolutely love the Kinesis approach. It makes so much sense, and yet it’s surprising that so few companies practice marketing holistically.

In her role, Alanna helps new-to-Kinesis clients uncover their One-Word Mission, Living, Breathing Values, and Big Vision – and helps their leadership identify where they want the business to grow and then implement the marketing strategy to get them there. She also:

Provides strategic insight and direction to clients

Advocates and implements our clients’ brand and values to internal and external customers

Leads annual and semi-annual Strategic Planning Sessions

Works with clients to develop their company’s story and unique messaging

Develops marketing and sales strategies, and leads the team in achieving campaign goals

Alanna joined Kinesis in mid-2016, bringing her deep skillset to Kinesis. Her background is in art history, marketing, and real estate technology.

The brand is the heartbeat of an organization and should be reflected in employees’ actions, and there should be clear integration between Marketing, Sales and Operations.

At Kinesis, marketing is embraced as mission critical – rather than an afterthought or a promotional activity.

Tell us a little more about your background before joining Kinesis:

Interestingly, I “fell” into marketing while I was in grad school for art history. At the time, I was working at an international cultural exchange company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a VP thought I’d be a good fit for a Marketing Coordinator role. We were a small team of five who had a ton of fun. I thrived in the business world, so much so that I said goodbye to academia, never completing my M.A.

From Cambridge, I moved to Lake Tahoe for ten years, where I worked in marketing as an account strategist at an advertising agency, followed by five years as the marketing manager at a real estate technology shop.

How have those experiences helped you as a Chief Growth Officer at Kinesis?

Working at an agency for five years, I learned so much about marketing strategy, the creative process, and juggling competing demands from multiple clients. When I returned to in-house marketing at the real estate technology shop, I had added many more arrows to my quiver – which was essential since we were a lean marketing team and I had to roll up my sleeves and do the work myself (as opposed to the agency, where we had specialists for every role).

With all of the various skills that I had acquired, I found Kinesis to be a natural fit, where I serve a variety of clients in different ways, depending on their goals. When I first read the CGO job description on LinkedIn, I was attracted to an agency that specialized in service-centric clients and helps people in the B2B world. Kinesis gives me the ability to be creative, while working in a professional environment that complements my personality—collaborative yet appreciative of structure.

My personal super power is my ability to sleep well, even if it’s not as long as I want. I love Arianna Huffington’s book The Sleep Revolution and hope it makes us think differently about the positive impact of sleep on productivity, performance and happiness has in the workplace.

But in the workplace (refreshed from all my great sleep), my super power is my ability to get all of the details. When I dive into a new project, I gather as much information as possible and ask lots of questions. All of these details help me see the big picture—strengths and gaps—and this guides my strategy.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I didn’t ski or mountain bike before I moved to Lake Tahoe. In fact, I was always the kid who would weasel out of gym class and requirements with volunteer work or community service. I was definitely intimidated by the “all-in, sports at 110%!” nature of a mountain town. But what Tahoe taught me is that this old dog wants to learn new tricks!

Today, I’d call myself a solid intermediate skier and mountain biker, and am excited for new outdoor adventures in the Pacific NW.

Kinesis’ growing team has enabled us to expand our portfolio – and we are currently accepting new clients seeking to transform their business. If you or someone you know would be a good fit for our services, fill out our contact form below!

ABOUT Susie Wittbrodt

Strategist Susie Wittbrodt generates content and designs concepts to guide client marketing efforts and growth. With several years of sales and marketing experience and a passion for writing, Susie is well-versed in the complexities of business strategy and branding. You can connect with Susie on LinkedIn.